Switch.



A. J. WILSON.

SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 3, 1913.

Patented Dec.23,191 3.

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1% Wjfavzz A. J. WILSON.

SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 3, 1913.

Patented Dec. 23, 1913.

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Vila! am uw o'a A #21955 J W 'fama A. J. WILSON SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 3, 1913.

Patented Dec. 2S, 1913.

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wwmzooao STATES ALFRED J. WILSON, OF EVANSVILLE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR 0FONE-THIRD TO LEE MCALPIN AND ONE-THIRD T0 GEORGE E. CARROLL.

SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 3, 1913.

Patented Dec. 23,1913.

Serial No. 758,667.

1 b all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALFRED J. lVinson, acitizen of the United States, residing at Evansville, in the county ofVanderburg and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Switches; and I do declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to railway switches, and more especially to thoseof that type wherein the switch point or tongue is thrown by theengineer or motorman on the locomotive or car approaching the switch;and the object of the same is to effect certain improvements in switchesof this character. This object is carried out by constructing the switchin the manner hereinafter more fully described and claimed and as shownin the drawings wherein Figure 1 is a plan View and Fig. 2 a sideelevation of the switch complete, both views illustrating a car orlocomotive as approaching from the right. Figs. 3, 4: and 5 are sectionson the lines 3-3, 4-4 and 55 respectively of Fig. 1. Figs. 6 and 7 areenlarged sectional details on the lines 6--6 and 7-7 respectively ofFig. 5; and Fig. 8 is a similar detail on the line 8-8 of Fig. 9. Fi 's.9, 10, 11, and 12 are enlarged plan views, partly in section showing theparts in different positions as will be referred to in the operation ofthe device hereinafter.

In the drawings the rails of the main track M are laid on ties as usualand in the present instance extend straight from right to left. Therails of the switch track S lead obliquely inward as shown, and T arethe switch points or tongues which it is the purpose of the presentinvention to throw from one position to the other. These tongues aremoved by plungers l? mounted on the car or locomotive L, and as seen inFig. 4 the preferred manner of mounting the plungers is to locate eachof them within a casing C and surround it by a spring holding theplunger normally raised, but the engineer or motorman can place his footon a foot piece F and depress the plunger so that its lower end willperform the service yet to be described. As shown in Fig. 1 there arefour such plungers on the car or locomotive L, one at each side and apair at each end, so that in whichever direction the locomotive ismoving the engineer may depress one plunger or the other but cannotdepress both simultaneously. The parts thus far described are notclaimed to be new, but are illustrated for sake of showing theircoaction with my improved switch.

Coming now to the details of the present invention, the switch tongues Tare movably mounted at the points 1 and are connected with each other inany suitable manner as at 2, and in the present illustration they are ofthe split switch type well known in this art and needing no furtherdescription. With the parts standing as shown in Fig. 1 the main line Muninterrupted and a locomotive L proceeding to the left as indicated bythe arrow would pass along the main line. If, however, the switchtongues T are moved upward as shown in this view, the locomotive L wouldbe diverted onto the switch rails S. Conversely, a locomotiveapproaching from the left would pass along the main line if the partsstand as shown, but if the switch tongues are thrown a locomotiveapproaching along the switch from the left would pass onto the mainline. Then my invention is applied to a split switch as shown. itisquite possible that with the parts as now shown in Fig. 1, a locomotiveap n'oaching along the switch from the left would automatically forcethe tongues over to the other position and run onto the main linewithout running oil the track; but as my invention is applicable toother types of switches, we will assume that it is desirable for theengineer to throw the switch if necessary, when approaching from eitherdirection and on the main line or the switch line. For this purpose Iprovide a series of four levers 3, each pivoted at at on an extended tieor a suitable support alongside the track and having at its outer end anoblique gpard plate or shield 5 upstanding as best seen in 3 and adaptedto be struck by the lower end of a plunger P when the latter dcpr ed.For holding this end of the lever in either position, a spring 6 isprovided, secured at its inner end at 7 to a tie or other fixed part ofthe road bed and having its outer end provided with two shoulders 8 and9 over which the outer end f the lever rides so that the resiliency ofthe spring holds said lever in either of its extreme positions. The fourlevers are located outside the main line M and outside the outer rail ofthe switch line S, two of them are connected by a cross rod 10 so as tomove in unison; and each of them has a fork 11 at its inner end whosearms have alined pins 12 projecting inward and toward each other andengaging cross slots 13 in the upper and lower plates of amember which Iwill call the box 14, said plates bemg connected by an upright pin 15 atabout their centers. The inner ends of the four levers are thusconnected with two boXes, and the two pins 15 of the boxes pass looselythrough upright longitudinal slots 16 in a locking bar 17 which extendstransversely across the track beneath the tips of the switch tongues Tand is connected with them in any suitable manner as indicated at 18. Bythis construction it will be seen that when any particular plunger P isdepressed its lower end striking one of the guard plates or shields 5bears the same outward and moves the inner end of the correspondinglever 3 inward, and the pins 12 within the fork 11 thereof move the boXaccordingly. After a little lost motion the pin 15 within the boxstrikes the end of the slot 16 in the locking bar 17, and finally thelatter is moved and, through its connections 18 with the switch tongues,the switch is thrown. As the engineer cannot step on two of the plungersP at the same time, the moving of one guard plate 5 out-ward naturallycauses the movement of the opposite guard plate inward, and the lockingbar is serviceable for causing the movement of the other two levers 3, 3in a manner which will be clear. The springs 6 with their shoulders 8and 9 permit such movement and retain the parts in the position assumedby them. Such would be the simpler form of my device, useful mainly onstreet railways where it was not subject to molestation; but on steamrailways and those roads traveling through a sparsely settled districtit may be desirable to provide another form of lock which I will nowdescribe.

Mounted on a suitable support alongside the locking bar is a casing 20containing a sliding bolt-21 borne normally away from said bar by aspring 22, and carried by the cross rod 10 is a pair of cams 23 and 24the parts being proportioned and disposed about as shown on Sheet 3 ofthe drawings. With the niain line open as seen in Fig. 9, let us assumethat a locomotive L approaches from the right as diagrammaticallyindicated in Fig. 1. The engineer depresses the left-hand forwardplunger P, and its lower end strikes the plate 5 in Fig. 1 so that animpulse is imparted to the lever 3' in Fig. 9 to cause it to move in thedirection of the arrow, such movement of course carrying the cross rod10 and the other three levers along with it. At this time the tip of thebolt 21 engages a notch 25 in the locking bar 17, and the same is lockedagainst movement by unauthorized persons if we assume that the bolt iswell housed within its casing 20 as indicated in Fig. 8. The firstmovement of the rod 10 in the direction of the arrow causes the cam 24to move from behind the bolt 21, when its spring 22 retracts it and theparts stand as seen in Fig. 10. During this movement the pin 15 withinthe boX at the bottom of Fig. 10 has been moving freely within the slot16 in the locking bar and therefore the latter has not moved; but aboutthe time that the cam 2st disengages the bolt and the latter retracts,the pin 15 engages the inner end of said slot and moves the bar and withit the swtitch tongues T, from the position shown in ig. 10, through theposition shown in Fig. 11, to the position shown in Fig. 12. Thelast-named view shows the engagement of the other cam 23 with the bolt,which is thus projected into the other notch 26 in the locking bar, sothat said bar is held against movement in the opposite direction. lVhilethis movement of the switch has been described with relation to oneguard plate 5, as all these levers 3 are connected with each other it isobvious that the same movement of the switch would occur if any of theplungers engaged any of the guard platesno matter in which direction thecar was moving nor at what speed.

I do not wish to be limited to details, and the proportions and aterialsof parts are obviously not essential.

YVhat is claimed as new is:

1. In a switch throwing mechanism, the combination with a pair of leverspivoted between their ends along the track and having upstanding guardplates at their outer ends adapted to be struck by plungers on thelocomotive; of yokes at their inner ends, pins on the yoke-arms standingin alinement and projecting toward each other, a bar slidable beneaththe track-rails and to which the switch-tongue is connected, and a boXcarried by each end of said bar and having cross slots in its upper andlower plates with which said pins are loosely engaged.

2. In a switch throwing mechanism, the combination with a pair of leverspivoted between their ends along the track and having upstanding guardplates at their outer ends adapted to be struck by plungers on thelocomot' e; of a bar slidable across the track and to which the switchtongues are connected, a plate carried by each end of said bar andhaving a cross slot, and pins at the inner ends of said leversrespectively engaging said slots.

3. In a switch throwing mechanism, the combination with a pair of leverspivoted between their ends along the track and having upstanding guardplates at their outer ends adapted to be struck by plungers on thelocomotive; of a bar slidable across the track and to which the switchtongues are connected, said bar having two notches between such tongues,connections between the inner ends of said levers and the outer ends ofsaid bar, a sliding bolt mounted between the rails in position to engageone of said notches when the switch tongues are at either extremeposition, a cross rod connecting said levers, and cams on said rodengaging said bolt, for the purpose set forth.

at. In a switch throwing mechanism, the combination with a pair oflevers pivoted along the track and having upstanding guard platesadapted to be struck by plungers on the locomotive; of a bar slidableacross the track and to which the switch tongues are connected, said barhaving two notches between such tongues, connections between said leversand bar, a sliding bolt between the rails in position to engage one ofsaid notches when the switch tongues are at either extreme position, aspring normally holding said bolt out of engagement with the notches, across rod connecting said levers, and cams on said rod engaging the rearend of said bolt when the levers are moved and projecting it inopposition to the tension of said spring.

5. In a switch throwing mechanism, the combination with a pair of leverspivoted along the track and having upstanding guard plates adapted to bestruck by plungers on the locomotive; of a bar slidable across the trackand to which the switch tongues are connected, said bar having twonotches, connections between the levers and the bar, a sliding bolt inposition to engage one notch when the switch-tongues are at eitherextreme position, a cross rod connecting said levers, a cam thereon forprojecting said bolt when the levers are moved, a second pair of leverspivoted alongside the track and projecting in the opposite directionfrom said cross bar, and pin-and-slot connections between the inner endsof the levers of this pair and the bar.

6. In a switch throwing mechanism, the combination with a longitudinallymovable bar connected with the switch tongue and having a pair ofnotches in its edge and a longitudinal slot in its outer end, and a boxinclosing said end and having a pin loosely engaging said slot; of apivoted lever having a guard plate at one end adapted to be struck by aplunger on the locomotive, connections between its other end and saidbox, a cross rod moved by said lever, cams thereon, and a springretracted bolt actuated by said cams to engage one or the other of saidnotches, for the purpose set forth.

7. In a switch throwing mechanism, the combination with a bar connectedwith the switch tongue and having a pair of notches in one edge and aslot in its outer end, a box loosely mounted on said end and having across pin slidably engaging said slot, the upper and lower plates ofsaid box having transverse slots, and a centrally pivoted lever havingat one end a fork with inturned pins loosely engaging these slots and atits other end an upstanding guard plate adapted to be struck by aplunger on the locomotive; of a locking device adapted to engage one orthe other of said notches when the switch tongue is in either extremeposition, means for automatically retracting said device, a cross rodconnecting said levers, and cams on said rod so spaced as to engage andproject said locking device after the pin in said box has been movedthroughout the length of the slot in said bar.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

ALFRED J. WILSON.

Witnesses:

Gno. G. McGnnw, WM. Ancoon.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of latents. Washington, D. C.

